Qantas releases first tickets for new Kangaroo route

Travellers can now book non-stop flights from Europe to Australia for the first time, with tickets for Qantas’ London-Perth route going on sale.

Daily flights on the history-making route begin in March next year and form part of a new London-Perth-Melbourne return service.

The services will be operated by Qantas’ new Boeing 787-Dreamliner - an aircraft designed specifically for comfort on long-haul sectors.

Customers will be able to transfer from the West Australian capital to ten onward destinations across the country within four hours of arrival including seven regional towns in Western Australia including Broome, Karratha and Paraburdoo.

Inbound travellers from other Australian cities will be able to connect to London via Perth.

ADVERTISEMENT

There’s also expected to be a surge in stopovers within Western Australia.

The new QF9/QF10 will replace Qantas’ existing London-Dubai-Melbourne services – marking the next evolution of the Kangaroo Route, seven decades after the national carrier first flew British customers all the way to Australia.

Qantas Group chief executive Alan Joyce said there had been global interest in the London-Perth flights since they were announced in December 2016.

“We’ve said the Qantas Dreamliner is a game changer, and that’s becoming real today,” Joyce said.

“The Kangaroo Route has kept changing with new technology.

“It used to take four days and seven stops but now we’re able to link the UK and Australia in a single hop. It’s a level of convenience those in Europe have never had before.

“We’re conscious that this is a long flight, but not much longer than our Sydney to Dallas service.

“It’s the kind of route that the Dreamliner was created for, because of its built-in features to reduce jetlag and improve the overall travel experience.

“We’ve added a very high level of comfort in each of the cabins and a lower seat count than most of our competitors.

“And we’re making tweaks to our in-flight service designed to help customers enjoy the journey more.”

Joyce said direct routes tended to stimulate new travel demand by making it easier to get to a destination – something that will benefit the UK, Western Australia’s economy and Australian tourism more broadly.

The travel experience for customers connecting in Perth will be seamless, with Qantas building a new transit lounge at Perth Airport.

This will enable a smooth transition with international and domestic flights arriving and departing from the same terminal, complete with dedicated customs and immigration.

More details on the transit experience at Perth will be announced next month.